Overseas homebuyers warned over using the internet to translate foreign contracts

Overseas homebuyers are running into problems because they try to cut costs by using the internet to translate foreign contracts.

Those who don’t want to pay for an official translator are increasingly relying on online services to help them understand legal documents in Spanish, French or Greek.

But these services are only meant for rough translations, and can mean users miss nasty bits of smallprint.

Lost in translation: Misunderstandings in contracts could end up costing homebuyers more than expected

Some buyers who signed Spanish contracts lost their homes because they were built on illegal land.

Foreign property expert Simon Conn says: ‘Some people might think they can save money by using a free translation service. But misunderstandings in the contracts could end up costing people a lot more.’

In one example the Spanish word ‘censos’ appeared in a document. This normally means ‘survey’ but here meant ‘leasehold’, so the buyer was locked into a contract completely different to the one they had wanted.